Foreign Feelings
by SunKyuBunny
Summary: He was the first thing that caught her eye and left an impression on her, but she's unsure of any feelings towards him because she found him hard to comprehend. Has he feelings for this foreigner, or does he enjoy playing around with her? OC x Murasakibara
1. Chapter 1

She came to Japan halfway while studying in junior high back in her own country, because she was offered a chance to study in Japan by her uncle. She never thought he would actually remember this dream of hers since young. After all, didn't her parents just merely shrugged it off by saying if they have enough cash, they would send her there? And now with the current earthquakes going about there, she was almost convinced that she would never be able to go there anymore. She was more than thankful, and more than elated. With the help of her uncle, she managed to enroll in a school in Akita Prefecture, Yosen High. Within a month or so, she flew there, stayed with a local host and a few other foreigners in a simple traditional Japanese house. She requested to stay there, although her uncle told her he would be more than willing to pay more if she wanted somewhere more comfortable—she couldn't possibly do that, she'd been asking so much out of him already, and to be in Japan was a miracle. She couldn't ask for more.

It had been a month or so since she attended school in Yosen High. At first she struggled with her studies due to her poor foundation of the Japanese language, but she aced English and Math (something which she had forced herself to be damn good at, because Math was also one of the things she could never understand). She landed herself in a club, the karate club. Of course this wasn't what she had in mind, but she had joined the Taekwondo club back in her school in Singapore so it didn't really matter. As such, she was the first girl in Yosen's karate club, and being a foreigner, she was often noticed by many.

Being noticed like that made her rather shy, but she thought there were other people worth giving their attention to, like the giants which Yosen has, and especially the purple haired one in her class. That guy caught her eyes the moment she stepped into the class (late, because she got lost on her way to school). He was sitting down, sure he was, but he stood out more than the rest, although he was placed way at the back. He was, she noted, rather good-looking, even though his face was partly covered by his messy hair, she just had a good feeling about him.

It was just this particularly fine day when fate decided to bring them closer together, much to her secret joy. Or so, she thought.

"Sakurai," a girl with short brown hair looked at her with pleading puppy eyes. "Hey, Sakurai," The girl kept on saying. Sighing, she finally looked up at her friend. She knew, both from instinct and after watching so much anime, that whenever your friend (Japanese ones especially) calls you like that, she definitely have a request that you probably wouldn't want to hear.

"What is it, Ai?" A corner of her lips tilted upwards slightly, trying to be polite and at the same time trying not to show annoyance. She knew, it was their duty to clean the classroom right after class, which was like now, and she knew just about what her friend wanted to say.

"Hey…" Her friend begin saying slowly, trying not to spill her excitement. "You know, my boyfriend actually asked me to go out with him today, I tried to refuse him, but I just can't, you know?" Sakurai sighed again.

"So you're asking me to do your part of the cleaning too?" She asked. Man, what a bother. Cleaning the class without a friend is a chore, not like she had the heart to refuse her either…

Ai nodded enthusiastically. "But then, it's not like you're alone! You have…" She nodded her head towards someone at the back of the class, to which Sakurai followed her gaze. "Murasakibara-kun. He's on duty today too." Something tugged at her heart vaguely, but she dismissed that quickly. In this past month or so, Murasakibara was… lazy. Incompetent with his schoolwork. Always dozing off. Always snacking. Always forgetful. At least, he never bothered to show her his cool side anyway. And here he is, dozing off at his seat although practically everyone had left the classroom and only three of them remained. And he was probably just going to continue sleeping and she'd be doing all the cleaning herself. She looked at her friend, her face scrunched up, silently indicating that this was not a desired situation, to which her friend understood immediately YET pretended not to know. Ai laughed quietly, then patted Sakurai on the back lightly, wishing her good luck and a good bye, and left hurriedly.

_Curses, Ai!_ She shouted in her mind, as she look back and forth at the sleeping Murasakibara and the door which Ai had passed through. Sighing, she resigned to fate and went to the blackboard, wiping away the chalk. It had been a good 10 minutes as she was just about to finish sweeping the entire area, except Murasakibara's, of course, since she didn't want to go near him. Who knows what sort of monster he could be when she accidentally woke him up from his nap, a fact she knew well because she would be equally angry at someone who woke her from her naps. Still, she realized that his area was full of candy wrappers and bits of tidbits. She tried her best not to touch his feet with the broom, but his feet had moved so unexpectedly that her broom hit him, causing him to stir and arose from his nap.

He blinked at her sleepily, leaving her to somewhat shivering in fear as to what could become of her. What's worse was that they were the only ones in class, he could do practically anything to her without being found out. Well, except murder. He couldn't escape that. Hopefully he's sensible enough to realize that, but then again, this was Japan. Anything was possible in Japan. She swallowed, and tried to apologize to him.

He frowned a little, looking at her. "Who are you again?" He scratched his head, before yawning. It was her turn to blink now. Impossible, they were in the same class for a month and he still didn't know who she was?! Okay, maybe not her name but at least her face? He may be some big shot at basketball but this was just rude. "It's okay, you don't have to know." She replied hastily and swept the floor under the table somewhat irritably. He lifted his feet at that, before coming to his senses.

"You're…" His words caused her to look up at him. She was bending down a little, and she saw that his eye were on her chest. She rose to her full length quickly, putting a fist defensively at her chest. What, did she just show cleavage? Oh God no. Murasakibara's eyes then flickered to meet hers. "You're that foreigner, aren't you? Why are you sweeping the floor?" Sakurai let out a sigh of relief. So he was just looking at the broom she had been holding. Someone as dense as him couldn't possibly be pervert material. She managed a small smile at him. "It's my duty to sweep the floor today." She couldn't say, '_our_ duty' for some reason. Murasakibara looked at her, then slumped back at his chair.

"Tell me when you're done then." His head plopped down onto the table again. She looked at him, and sighed. It's not even normal for someone to sigh so much, but she just couldn't help it. She cleared the bins and arranged the tables and chairs quietly, hoping not to wake him again. Taking one final look at the class, there was nothing much she could do now. All's left is to wake Murasakibara. She shook him gently, telling him to wake up. He made no sign of waking up, so she shook him with more force, causing his leg to move and got tangled with hers, making her trip and land… eventually on him.

It was an awkward position. Somehow or rather, Murasakibara had his hand on her back, supporting her as she clung onto his uniform and buried her face into his chest. Wait, how did he move so quickly? She found her heart throbbed fast, pumping blood all the way to her head, making her dizzy as she blushed furiously. She felt movement from his head as his lips went closer to her ear.

"You're a pervert~" This made Sakurai jump and push him away. "What do you mean by that? I am not! I just tripped… By your leg!" She protested, but Murasakibara only chuckled a little.

"W-W-Why are you laughing? Is there something wrong with my face?" Sakurai tried to cover her face, and he reached out a hand towards her. The back of his fingers softly touched her cheeks, causing her to flinch. Murasakibara retracted his hand and stood up, walking past her.

"Thanks for doing my duty, by the way." Was all she heard when he left the room.

_Had he known all along?_


	2. Chapter 2

_He knew!_ These words haunted her ever since that day. If he knew it was his duty, why did he just lay there and sleep and not do anything?! He's not being a gentleman. She tapped her pen lightly on the table, deep in thought. The teacher kept on babbling with his math lecture and it sort of bored her. Like, she couldn't understood what he had said because 1) it was Japanese, a language she still have yet to master 2) he was speaking too fast 3) this was math class.

"Hmm. Nagato. Could you come up and solve this equation for the class?" The teacher said to her, standing in front of her desk, handing her a piece of chalk. She sat way in front of the class, because the teachers thought she would be able to get better attention from the them since she was weak in her studies. Surprised, she took the chalk from him and step up to the board. Impossible. She's sure she knew the solution to this terrible math problem, but her mind went blank. Try standing in front of the whole class and all eyes on you, how could you even think properly at such a situation? Swallowing hard, she wrote a couple of other equations, leading to the formula and finally, the solution. The teacher praised her, and she blushed lightly, biting her lower lip as the loud-mouthed students complimented her too. Although it was oblivious to her as to whether those words thrown to her were compliments or just plain sarcasm. Her eyes wandered around the room, and met with Murasakibara's. He rested his cheek on his palm, looking at her with a bored expression. Feeling uneasy, she went back to her seat. Lesson continued as per normal, but something just didn't feel right in her heart.

Class ended shortly and they were all dismissed. The class was filled with excited girly chatters as to where they're heading after this, and the guys shouted to one another across the room about some pretty girl they met online or something. _Ah,_ Sakurai thought as she peered into her bag. _That's right, I have karate practice today… _Surprisingly, karate hadn't been such a drag as Taekwondo back in her former school was. The seniors there were really nice, and a few good looking ones to boot, and training wasn't very intense. After all, Yosen only focused on basketball and nothing much else. _Which means…_ She glanced over her shoulder at the snacking Murasakibara. The karate and basketball club's training clashes together, and sometimes their seniors had to fight for the place in the hall. The basketball club won most of the time, since they were much more prioritized. She decided to make her way to the hall and check it out, unbeknownst to her that the purple giant was also following her.

She only realized it when she felt a pair of eyes burning into her soul. She glanced over and, completely taken aback, when she saw him. His lazy eyes met her surprised ones, and his face remained impassive. He munched on a certain chocolate bar quietly, and stopped when she did. Flustered, she asked, "W-Why are you following me?"

"Hmm? I have basketball practice. I'm just walking to the hall." He answered casually. His voice always carried that hint of playfulness that never put her at ease. _That's right,_ she realized. _His training will be held in the hall. Argh why am I even going there anyway… _She started to walk in the opposite direction, but was quickly stopped by him. "You aren't going to the hall anymore?"

"Ah, nope." She replied politely, blinking blankly at him. His eyes narrowed at that.

"Why not?"

"Because my karate training most probably wouldn't be held there, I guess?" She replied simply. The latter had finished his chocolate bar and stuffed the wrapper in his pockets. "You never know…" He mumbled, looking away.

"Excuse me?" She asked. "I didn't hear you properly." He then looked at her fiercely, and took her by the arm, pulling her along as he walked. "Whoa, hey, what are you doing?" She cried out and tried to resist, but he was unsurprisingly strong. Is he making her skip karate practice on purpose? Why this devil…

It didn't take them long to reach the hall. A couple of the basketball guys were there, doing their warm-ups and playing a friendly game. "Hey Atsushi is here!" One of them hollered and the game stopped, and all eyes landed on Sakurai. "Whoa, Atsushi, is this your girlfriend?" That voice belonged to Kensuke Fukui, she immediately recognized him because one of the girls in her class had a crush on him and they were gossiping some time during recess. He walked over to them, eyeing her up and down. Abashed, she hid behind Murasakibara, and then she heard a couple gasps coming from them.

"I can't believe it…" The captain, Kenichi Okamura, sobbed. "Even a giant like Murasakibara has a girlfriend and I…" To which Kensuke replied with a curt comment. Realizing what was going on, she revealed herself again to them, explaining calmly that there was nothing going on between them, and that he brought her here for God-knows-why. Murasakibara stayed silent throughout her so-called speech, and when she tried to leave again, he clamped a hand on her head, shocking her and everyone else.

"H-Hey… Murasakibara… This isn't the way to treat a girl…" Kensuke said weakly. Murasakibara ignored him, remaining silent.

"Uh…" Sakurai said, breaking the uneasiness in the air. "Please let go of my head." Murasakibara's eyes flickered to her hands as she tried to remove him heavy hand. _If he keeps on clamping my head like this, I'm never gonna grow tall!_ She thought miserably. He just wouldn't let go!

"Kensuke. Murasakibara. Start your warm-ups now!" Their super fierce P.E teacher, Masako Araki shouted. _Oh,_ Sakurai cowered a little. _So Masako-san was their basketball coach?_ The intimidating female coach seemed to take no notice of her, much to her relief. Murasakibara took one final glance at the girl before releasing his grip on her and walked towards his club members lazily. Sakurai took this as her chance to escape, but Murasakibara looked at her again from over his shoulders. This sent chills down her spine as she stood there awkwardly, returning the stare.

"Hey, Murasakibara! Stop staring at your girlfriend and get back to practice already!" Their gorilla captain Kenichi exclaimed. Sakurai ceased eye contact with Murasakibara, and turned to look at Kenichi. The coach seemed to realize her presence as she stared at the girl with questioning eyes. Shrugging, Murasakibara unzipped his jacket nonchalantly, revealing his bare arms and jersey. Embarrassed, Sakurai went out of the hall quickly.

_Why the heck…_ She bit her lower lip, putting a hand over her chest to in a futile attempt to stop her heart from beating that fast again. _Why the heck am I blushing just because he took off his jacket?! It's not like I have never seen basketball players in jerseys…_ She was starting to calm down as she made her way into the basement of the school where the karate club activities were held. She was late, and the seniors started to poke fun out of her. _Just forget everything_, she thought.

_Just forget everything?!_ She gritted her teeth as she smashed a wooden plank in the form of a hand chop. _Just because you're tall, do you think that you can get away with the things you've did?! Do you?! A_ while later when she's finished with her warm-ups, and she was told to karate chop a couple of wooden planks. While doing so, she had imagined the planks of wood to be Murasakibara, as she karate chopped them aggressively, making some of the members around quite scared of her. For some reason, Murasakibara annoyed her. She was still unsure about how she felt for him. Was it hatred? Or was it irritancy? No, it can't be that she liked him. Sure, she do blush now and then around him, but it was because of what he did, not who he was. _That's for damn sure_, she thought, reassuring herself. "S-Sakurai… Do you want to take a break…?" One of the guys approached her with shakiness in his voice. She looked at him blankly. "More planks, please."

Club practice ended in an hour or so, and Sakurai was packing her things and refreshing herself with her towel. She had changed into her school uniform minus the skirt. She wore P.E shorts instead, because she detests wearing school skirts for some reason, and also because it was a habit of hers since elementary school. "Hey Sakurai," One of the good looking senior, Ito Naoki, called out to her. "A few of us are heading to the fast food restaurant down the street to grab a bite, wanna come along too?" He asked friendly. Senior Ito was a heart throb and he was definitely her type, but she didn't have any romantic feelings towards him. To her, he was just a nice senior and a good friend. But why?

"Nah." She grinned at him. "I'm just going to head home early and get started on my revision." Ito sighed, shaking his head a little. "Seriously, do you only study and do nothing else?" Sakurai laughed lightly at that comment. Well, true, she may seem to be more of a study-holic than an average student in the school in everyone's eyes. "I can't risk getting kicked out of the school due to my poor grades." She explained, folding her karate uniform properly and putting them into her bag pack.

"Say, are you free tomorrow after school?" Her senpai's words made her look up at him curiously.

"I guess… Why?" She asked with a blank expression on her face. A lock of hair fell onto her face, covering a part of her left eye. Chuckling, Naoki shrugged.

"Nothing much, I just thought that maybe we can hang out or something. I could probably help you out with your studies." He suggested. Her gaze fell when he finished.

"Oh… Okay then…" She wasn't sure why she didn't feel especially excited or happy when he asked her out. Instead, she felt more uneasy than happiness. "Cool, I will meet you at your class after school then." Naoki scratched his head and bid her a fast goodbye and left. _A date with Ito senpai huh…_ She thought, looking at where he's gone. _This just didn't feel right…_

She was one of the last few to leave the school compound, and as she walked towards the school gate she saw a couple of the basketball guys chatting noisily in the same direction. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Murasakibara in the group. Quickly, she looked away and walked at a faster pace.

"Hey Atsushi! That's your girlfriend over there!" _Crap_, Sakurai cringed at those words. Surely he would have seen her now. _But what's with the girlfriend thing?!_ She turned her head and looked at them, annoyed. "Say, are you going to walk her home?" Kensuke nudged Murasakibara, and Himuro chuckled. Murasakibara kept his gaze at Sakurai, unmoving. _These guys, really_, she sighed as she turned her back and walked away. Even at a distance, she could hear one of them, Kensuke most probably, shouting "Your girlfriend's leaving! Hurry up and chase after her already!" She stormed off even faster, hoping to get away from those annoying guys.

_Oh if you could see me now,_

Why was it that this bothered her so much? She walked down the street leading to her place of stay. She turn to look behind. That purple giant wasn't going to follow her again, surely. Small crowds of people here and there attracted her attention, because she feared one of these crowds might be those annoying basketball guys. Who knows? She was still in the vicinity of the school after all.

_I still look for your face in the crowd, oh if you could see me now…_

Silently, she admit that she was looking out for Murasakibara more than the other guys. Was it because he attracted more attention because of his height? Or was it because he was the cause of this annoyance? Or was it something else?

Time passed so fast for the first time the next day. Why was it that she dreaded going out with Senior Ito? Ai and her other friends are busy chatting and sharing photos of cute guys in their school, and they mentioned Ito in particular. What's worse was that they were surrounding her, giggling as they did.

"Hey Sakurai, don't you think this picture of Ito senpai looked dashing?" One girl asked, showing her a photo from her phone.

"Oh, hmm—"

"No, wait, this one's more handsome!" Another friend exclaimed, pushing the other girl's phone away. _Girls_, Sakurai sighed. The only one who's not annoying was Ai, but then again she's showing them photos of her and her boyfriend so it didn't really make any difference. She glanced over at the door. Anytime now, Senior Ito's going to appear and then these girls will be shocked and hate her for life because they've all been secretly crushing on Ito ever since the first day of school started. Apologizing, she made her way to the door, looking around. She almost collided with Himuro, who gently held her in place. "Ah, Nagato-san, was it?" Himuro smiled at her. "I was looking for Murasakibara, is he in there?"

"Probably," she said, and a voice not far away called her name.

"Sakurai-chan!" It was Naoki. Gulping, she bowed in respect to her senior. "Ready to go?" He flashed a smile, and she nodded meekly, following his lead. Himuro watched the scene, confused, and a rather sleepy Murasakibara stepped out of the class, walking past him a little.

"Hey, Atsushi," Himuro's calm voice made him turn. "Nagato's going out with another guy right now, did you know?"

"No," came his lazy reply. Himuro sighed, "Don't you care for her? I mean, you like her, don't you?"

There was more emotion in Murasakibara's face now. One of his eyebrows arched, as if Himuro had said something ridiculous. "No." His reply this time was firm. Himuro still looked confused, but shrugged it off casually. "Well, suit yourself. Let's go play street basketball after lunch!"

"Mmm." Murasakibara mumbled, taking out some sweets from his pockets. Himuro could tell that Murasakibara was thinking of something, and smiled to himself.

_Idiot, you care after all._


	3. Chapter 3

It had been one hour into their unofficial date, and they had just finished lunch and were walking out of the cafe. It was a little awkward being alone with a guy, and knowing that they're going out for a date. Probably because she never saw Senior Ito as a potential boyfriend. Something just didn't feel right! _But what is it?_ She thought, feeling mildly frustrated. All she wants is to go home and sleep.

"Where would you like to go next?" Naoki asked, feeling a little shy himself. "You're asking me? I'm a foreigner, I wouldn't know where else would be great." Sakurai teased. Well, after all, he's a good friend of hers, so if she'd just think of this as a friendly date, then the uneasiness would probably fade. He laughed, nodding, "That's right, since I asked you out, I should be the one taking you to places." That didn't make her feel better. "Let's have a stroll in the park, if you don't mind." Naoki's words made her come back to reality. She smiled warmly at him. "I don't mind."

It's like she found it hard to reject anyone in particular. A walk in the park should be harmless. Maybe, hopefully, she'd have feelings for Senior Ito? She glanced over at his side profile. Small, sharp nose. Alluring eyes. Cute hairdo. Perfect height and body. Gentle demeanor. _Why do I not like him then?_ Her gaze fell. They passed by a street basketball court, and some guys were shouting as they dribbled and passed the ball to one another.

_I still look for your face in the crowd, oh if you could see me now._

Guys from Yosen High weren't there, so the two of them decided to move on. They walked around the park for ten minutes or so, before finally resting on a bench nearby. Naoki offered to buy her drinks from the vending machine, which she recalled was quite a distance from where they were, but she admitted to feeling thirsty. "I'll be right back!" Naoki said as he jogged out of the park, leaving her alone. She felt herself finally relax as she stretched her feet in front of her.

"Ah, you're here too." That voice startled her and caused her to jump.

"You—?!" Sakurai cried. _Murasakibara?! What was he doing here?!_

"Murasakibara, we're about to play." His friend called out. His name was Wei Liu, if she recalled correctly. The tall Chinese guy. He noticed Sakurai, and then feeling intrigued by the two of them, begin to walk towards them.

"You're that girl from Singapore, aren't you?" He asked politely.

"Yeah," She replied with more enthusiasm. "You're the senpai from China, right?" Liu eyed her curiously, before nodding. "You know, I can speak Chinese too." Sakurai smiled warmly at Liu's apathetic face, and despite her stating that she could understand Chinese, Liu did not show much of an interest.

"I guessed as much." Was his impassive reply.

The two of them begin to converse in Chinese, leaving Murasakibara out. He was getting annoyed at being left out, and attempted to butt into their never-ending conversation. They only stopped talking when Himuro called out to them.

"Atsushi! Liu! We're about to play—…" He stopped when he saw Sakurai, and then smiling a little. "Well, hello there."

"G-Good afternoon…" She stuttered. So Yosen's basketball team was here too?! This is bad, if she and Naoki get spotted together, tongues will wag and—

"Hmm, hey? Where's Ito-senpai?" Himuro looked around and asked, surprised. _Crap he knows!_ Sakurai's insides started to swirl and make her sick in the stomach. "Did he abandon you during your date with him? That's mean." He commented unintentionally, but he kept on glancing at Murasakibara. Sadly, Murasakibara showed no sign of emotion as he stared elsewhere, but somehow Himuro thought that Murasakibara felt a little happy inside.

"Oi! You guys! We're playing now! Get your asses in here!" Someone shouted from afar to them, and the three guys were just about to go when Himuro invited Sakurai to watch them play. To Sakurai, basketball was boring and since she was short and she can't play basketball (at all), she never had an interest in it. But then again, she found it hard to refuse anyone anything. She blamed it on the intimidating presence of Murasakibara as she glanced at him, pouting slightly as they walked to the court together. Murasakibara looked at her from the corner of his eyes too.

"What."

"Nothing," She hissed under her breath. Lies.

The guys from her school played against a couple of other high schoolers, but needless to say, Yosen had the upper hand and were destined to win right from the start. Watching the game live and up close was a new experience for her, since everyone looked so cool during the game and they made basketball seem easy to play. And by everyone, she meant even Murasakibara. She sat on the bench nearby, leaning forward and placing her hands under her cheeks, watching intently. Well… Maybe basketball is a little interesting, after all.

"Murasakibara's a little more participative today," Himuro commented as he sat next to her. They had a changeover of players from both sides due to the request of the other party. "Oh, really?" Sakurai asked, sitting upright now. "Yeah," Himuro beamed as he took a sip of his water. "He don't usually play much during our practice games, but I think when you're around, he participates more."

"… What do you mean by that?"

Himuro chortled, shrugging his shoulders. "Who knows?" Sakurai narrowed her eyes at his words. He definitely suggested something, but what? Realizing something, she took out her phone and repeatedly pressed a button, but didn't get any response from her phone. _Crap!_ She thought anxiously. _I forgot to tell Senior Ito that I'm at the basketball court, and now my phone's out of battery?_ She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of him running about the park. "What's wrong?" Himuro asked, concerned. She turned to look at him, wanting to say something, but bit her lip to stop the words from being uttered out. _It should be okay to tell him since he knows… _She thought.

"I forgot to tell Senior Ito that I'm here," She explained, earning a light laugh from Himuro.

"So he didn't abandon you then?"

"Ah, about that, I never said he did."

"In that case, won't you stay here a bit longer?" Himuro wiped the sweat off with his towel. "It's not like you can contact him now anyway." That's true, but she felt bad having to let Naoki worry like that.

In the end she stayed throughout the game, and it was late evening by then. She felt awkward sitting there, watching them, but Kenichi and Kensuke kept her laughing with their jokes as the rest begin to pack their stuff.

"So hey, you're Atsushi's girlfriend, aren't you?" Kensuke asked, shooting Murasakibara a teasing look. Murasakibara frowned and went back to packing his things. _They just have to keep going back to the same subject…_ Her eyebrows twitched in irritation as he smirked at her. "Stop it, Kensuke, she has a boyfriend already." Himuro butt in, placing a hand on Kensuke's shoulder.

"Huh, bummer. And who might that be?"

"Er, no, I don't actually have a boyfriend." Sakurai scratched her cheek, looking thoughtful.

"Huh? Isn't Senior Ito—"

"Speaking of which, the summer festival is just this weekend!" Kenichi exclaimed, and a few other guys started to talk about it excitedly. "What's the deal with the festival?" Sakurai asked Liu who was nearby. "For one thing, the decorations and the display of the lights and lanterns will be pretty to watch." Liu said to her.

"Yeah, and the girls in yukatas will also be pretty to watch too!" One of them exclaimed.

"Well, I can't deny that." Himuro said bluntly.

"Idiots! Saying that so openly when there's a girl in our midst!" Kenichi said in a reprimanding manner.

"Oh sorry I didn't realize that there was a girl here," Kensuke joked, and Sakurai sighed softly. It didn't offend her one bit, she was often mistaken as a boy even as a child for some unknown reason. "You're not angry?" Kensuke asked, bewildered.

"Eh… Should I be?" Sakurai asked with a dazed look.

"I'd like to see Sakurai in a yukata though," Himuro spoke out. He didn't look like he mean anything, but his words carried weight in it. Immediately the guys around her blushed as they imagined Sakurai in a yukata.

"That'd be nice, but I have no idea how to wear one, so I think I will pass." Sakurai waved her hand dismissively.

"Are you sure? You're a foreigner, which is all the more why you should come for the festival!" Kensuke exclaim at her. The rest nodded in agreement.

"Eh… Then I think I will go after all." Sakurai replied nonchalantly. "But how I get those yukatas?"

"You'll have to rent them," Liu said apathetically.

"I will pass." Was her swift reply.

"But it's a trend to wear something traditional during the festival!" Kensuke argued.

"—Then I won't be going."

This squabble continued for about 10 minutes or so, before the rest of them started to head back home. It was a tiring day, Sakurai couldn't wait to go home and plop down on her bed and sleep.

"I'm back," She called out as she took off her shoes and changed into the slippers and stepped into the room. "Welcome back, Sakurai-chan." The old lady gave her a warm, wrinkled smile. "How was school today?"

"Mmm, fine," She said, returning the smile. "Oh, yes, granny," The old lady turn slowly to look at her. "Do you have a yukata that I can borrow for the festival this weekend?" Sakurai scratched her head, feeling bad about her request. The old lady chuckled, nodding happily. "Of course I do, I have quite a number of them for you to choose from. Follow me." She tugged onto Sakurai's hand, pulling her to the store room, and saying how glad she was that Sakurai is interested in the cultures of Japan and stuff, although she being a foreigner. Eventually she chose a pink yukata decorated with small prints of cherry blossoms at the bottom and a yellow obi to go along with it. She didn't exactly choose it— the granny was having fun thrusting yukatas on Sakurai to see if it matches her. _I guess granny hasn't played dress up in a long time, _Sakurai shook her head as she changed into the different ones of them. Coincidentally, she received texts from her girlfriends asking her out for the festival, and also texts from Naoki. She felt bad about abandoning Naoki earlier on today, so she decided to go to the festival with him.

After she finished texting everyone, she leaned her back against the wall. Her chair was a mere cushion on the floor and her study table was short and her bed was a mattress. Her room was pretty simple, nothing expensive except for her laptop or so. _Murasakibara's definitely going to be there, isn't he?_ At that depressing thought, she sighed loudly. Her life had changed ever since that fateful day, that fateful day when she was left cleaning the class alone and he just lazed around. What was it that she felt about him again? It confused her so. She didn't know if she liked him, or found him scary, or pretty childish, or just plain annoying. Thinking about all that made her sleepy, and she went to sleep soon after.

x

It was Saturday at last, and Ai and company had arranged to meet at the train station near the festival. Granny helped Sakurai in wearing the yukata and styled her short hair with hair spray and hair curlers. She felt shy to step out of the house looking like that— it was her first time in such a get-do after all. But luckily for her, many people were also in similar traditional clothes and it made her feel at ease. She met up with the girls shortly after, who wore gyaru makeup and complimented each other non-stop. Ai hooked arms with Sakurai, and said smiling, "Let's enjoy the festival together!" Sakurai could only manage a brief nod. Her friends all looked so gorgeous and she was the only one without makeup… Okay so maybe she did put some bb cream and all but she looked the most plainest among her friends. They all have pretty accessories in their hair and hands, and it made her feel underdressed. It was evening and they had fun just walking around and admiring all else. At some point she felt worn out and sat at a nearby bench and told the girls to go ahead without her first. _Senior Ito said he would be late… _Sakurai thought as she pressed a button on her phone to check the time.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," She spun around and saw Naoki in his yukata. "You look beautiful," He grinned and held out his hand towards her. "Shall we go?" Hesitantly, she reached for his hand and held it loosely, but Naoki's grip on hers was firm. He took her around the area, and they had some small talk here and there, but her mind wandered to where the basketballers were. Surely they are here somewhere? She stared at the ground as they paused in front of a games stall.

"Eh? Isn't this Senior Ito?" Her head shot up at the familiar voice of Kensuke. Those guys were here after all! She blinked in disbelief. Well, they all looked different in their yukatas… not to mention dashing too, because it showed more of their collarbone than usual. Ah, funny how she didn't notice that Senior Ito had also worn his yukata in a more sexy manner. The guys begin to crowd around Naoki, pushing him away from Sakurai and talking loudly as they did.

"Hey, wait, Sakurai-chan—!"

"Come on, Ito-senpai! Show us what you can do at the sumo wrestling competition!"

Sakurai's head had turned behind to see what they did to Naoki. She then turned her head around again to see Murasakibara in a light purple yukata, holding onto an enormous amount of snacks, as usual. _He didn't go with them… _She thought as she eyed him suspiciously.

He thrust out a stick of three-colored dango in front of her, head turned slightly as he did, pouting. "Take it."

"Eh? For me?" She reached out to take it hesitantly, her fingers brushed against his by accident.

"Those guys told me to get one of these for you," He explained, still pouting.

"Ah, but you didn't have to. Can I really have it?" She asked him, seeing that he looked rather unwilling to give his goodies away.

"Well if it's Saku-chin then it's okay." He shrugged nonchalantly. He then eyed her from top to toe. "Saku-chin looks really pretty today." He said in a straight-forward manner.

"I'm always pretty, not just today!" She retorted playfully, laughing slightly. Although there was a light blush forming on her cheeks. "By the way, what's with the –chin suffix?" Murasakibara shrugged again, "I like calling people like that."

"I see. That's quite cute," She said honestly, causing him to flinch visibly.

"Sakurai—" She turned her head, swearing that she heard Ito-senpai calling out for her. She then felt someone tugged at her hand and drag her away, and to her amazement, it was Murasakibara who pulled her.

"Murasakibara… -kun?" She said his name slowly. It was the very first time she called his name with a suffix. He didn't turn around.

"I want to show you something." Her heart started beating wildly when he finished saying that. _What's this? What's this fluffy feeling inside of me? _She stared at Murasakibara's back. His back seemed… Sturdy. Like he's a strong person or something. It gave her the feeling that he would be able to protect her. He stopped pulling her, and they both stood at the wide open space of grass, where picnic mats were placed by others here and there. The place was starting to get a little more crowded, and she was pushed by other girls who tried to squeeze in front. Her shoulder banged into his arm.

"S-Sorry…" She muttered. "What is it that you wanted to show me?"

"Look." He said quietly, gazing up at the sky. She followed his gaze, and all of the sudden, flashes of light shot up into the starry sky and bursts into all sorts of colors and patterns. _Fireworks,_ she marveled at the breath-taking sight of them. It felt so magical to see them live, she had always seen them on TV but the feeling right now was completely different. Her eyes brightened at the brilliant lights. Murasakibara glanced down at her, peering into her eyes.

"Do you like it?" He asked lazily. She stared into his eyes and beamed. "I do. Thank you for showing me something so beautiful." She returned her gaze back to the fireworks. The grip on her hand tightened, much to her obliviousness.

"It's not as beautiful as you are right now." He mumbled in an audible voice only to his ears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for your reviews! I really appreciate all of them! *touched to tears* Please do tell me where I can improve on too. Also, having said that, I did not attempt to copy anyone else's fic, although there are a few similarities here and there but I can assure you all that this whole fic was written by me and my originality (which explains the poor English). Thank you, everyone, for reading my humble fanfiction and for reviewing it. *deep bow***

x

"So I heard that you and Murasakibara-kun watched the fireworks together," Ai clambered over Sakurai's table, disrupting her from her concentration. "And seriously, doing math even before lessons had begun?"

"Ai-chan is pretty good at math so you won't understand," Sakurai shook her head and spun her pen around her fingers, failing miserably as the pen dropped to the ground. "Hey, don't escape my question!" Ai grumbled as Sakurai bent down to take the pen. "What?" She asked, annoyed, and put the pen horizontally in between her lips and nose. "About Murasakibara-kun," Ai said, feeling quite irritated herself. "Fine, if you don't want to tell me, then I will ask him myself." Ai stood up to her full length and started to walk away.

"Wait—!" Sakurai reached out and pulled Ai's blazer desperately. Ai chuckled and spun around to face her friend, but in turn she bumped into the monstrously tall purple haired aforementioned guy, causing the poor guy to drop his packet of chips. "Ouch…" Ai groaned. "Hey, you should say sorry for bumping into me!" Murasakibara bend down to reach for the packet of chips and rose again, his expression clueless as he studies her face.

"Who are you again?" He asks in a lazy drawl, and crunches onto a handful of chips noisily. "What—? I'm Nishikawa Ai, your classmate!" Ai replied hotly. Murasakibara was starting to get on her nerves. "Never mind that, tell me more about how your date with Sakurai went!" Sakurai recoiled at her words, and squinted at Murasakibara, hoping that he would not say something foolish.

He frowned at Ai, begin digging his hand into the pack of chips. "Oh, you're a classmate?" He answers easily. Ai stood there dumbstruck. She then looked like she was about to sigh heavily. "I've had enough of this. I'm going back to my seat." Ai growled and abruptly left. Sakurai's eyes followed hers, before looking at Murasakibara.

"Good morning." She greets him casually. The purple haired giant didn't even bother to tilt his head downwards as his eyes looked down at her. "Good morning." He says a second later, before proceeding to his seat. Sakurai didn't think much of it, actually she was starting to think that Murasakibara was not bad a person after all. They might actually become good friends, who knows?

x

School ended as usual and students begin filing out of the classroom. Sakurai wanted to approach Ai, but Ai had plans with her boyfriend that afternoon already. "When you have a boyfriend, you'll understand, please forgive me this time round!" Ai pleaded again with her puppy eyes, clutching onto a small pouch which Sakurai assumed contained her makeup stuffs. "Can't help it, can I? Have a great time then," Sakurai's shoulder slumped, but she manages a smile so as to not to spoil her friend's good mood. This was one of her rare moments that she actually didn't felt like studying in the afternoon, but no one seemed free to accompany her. She exited the school compound alone, sulking as she sees her schoolmates talking loudly with their own friends. _And mine?_ She kicks a small pebble out of her path. _Abandons me for a guy._ She felt something wet on the tip of her nose, but didn't pay much attention to it at first. The weather today was especially cooling, she thoughts as she stares up into the sky. Well, it was kind of cloudy after all. _I should rush home,_ she quickens her footsteps. _It looks like it's going to rain heavily._

She thanked God for holding back the rain until she got home, although the sound of the rolling thunder caused her to move even faster. By the time she was safe and sound, buckets of rain poured heavily, causing the ground outside to be semi-flooded. She took a quick bathe and changed into a shirt and shorts, ready to start her rounds of revision when she heard someone shouting at the entrance. That sounded like one of the foreign residents living here, she stepped out of her room to check it out. "Nii-san, is that you?" She swung open the door without hesitation, and saw the faces of people whom she thought she knew.

"Sakurai-chan! You're back!" The blonde haired guy with a couple of piercings in his ear said, almost relieved. Sakurai only stared at the person behind him, frowning. This unusually tall person in the black blazer with wet purple hair sticking to his face and dripped wet from top to toe. "Ah, he was caught in the rain with me, so I thought that he could take shelter here until the rain stops." The Blondie explained, nudging the purple haired guy to move inside.

"Murasakibara-kun?" Sakurai could only say, their stares fixed onto each other's. Murasakibara broke the eye contact and stepped into the house, muttering a "please excuse me". Still dazed, Sakurai turned to look at him. He had apparently made himself comfortable by sitting down next to the kotatsu, warming himself. "I will get you a towel," She mumbled and walked quickly to her room. She returned shortly after, towels in hand as she handed one of them to Murasakibara. "Eh? Where did nii-san go?" She asked to no one in particular. "He went to his room to change." Murasakibara replied, accepting the towel and used it to dry his hair clumsily. She saw that he was making the area of tatami around him wet, so she bent down and help him to dry his hair. "Let me do it," She says, taking the towel from him.

This was the first time she's seen his face up close, because of his tall height she never got the chance to see his face properly. He was, she noted, rather handsome. His eyes were glued to hers, but she fixed her stares onto his wet hair as she moved her hand around the towel in an attempt to dry his hair. "You should change into something else quickly or else you'll catch a cold. I will ask nii-san if he could borrow you something for the time being." Sakurai said as she was just about to stand up, but Murasakibara held her down by holding onto her arm.

"What is it?" She asks him curiously, and he moved an inch closer to her slowly. Just then the Blondie swung open the door, catching the both of them in act. "Hey you, let go of her arm!" He tried to separate the two of them, standing in front of Sakurai defensively. "Ah, nii-san, could you borrow him your clothes for him to change into?" She asks, as if Murasakibara never grabbed her arm just now. "Yeah, okay, follow me." The Blondie said, urging Murasakibara to follow him, which he promptly did.

Once they were in his room, the Blondie shot Murasakibara a menacing look. "Look, dude, if you try to get touchy with my sister like what you did back there, expect me not to show any mercy the next time." He warns him as he tossed some clothes at him, and Murasakibara caught it effortlessly. "Although she's not my biological sister, but I treat her like one. I know her too well, she's gullible and easy to fool by bad guys like you so I won't allow her to fall into your trap and—"

"Ha? What are you talking about?" Murasakibara asks as he unbuttons his blazer and tugged at his tie. "I don't like her, she's not even my type." At this, the Blondie looked bewildered.

"You don't like her? Then why did you grab her just now? And you two were too close for comfort!"

"Like I said, she's not my type. I prefer tall girls and she's way too short for my taste." Murasakibara shrugged off his blazer. "Now could you get out? I can't change if you're watching me like that."

"What— I'm not that type of person, you idiot!" The Blondie got out of the room in a huff and saw Sakurai placing a teapot and a couple of tea cups on top of the kotatsu. "What happened?" Sakurai asked as she poured hot tea into the teacups. "That idiot said he doesn't like you because you're way too short for his taste!" The Blondie quoted Murasakibara, and at that moment Sakurai could feel her blood boil. In that instance, the Blondie realized he had said something wrong. "Me? Short? You've got to be kidding…" She emitted evil aura as she put down the teapot, ready to kill Murasakibara. "W-Wait, I was just kidding—!" The Blondie panicked and tried to calm her down. Ignoring him, Sakurai stood up, about to confront Murasakibara when the door swung open and there he stood, wearing a hooded pullover and long shorts. For some reason, she felt her heart skip a beat when she saw him, and she froze on the spot.

He stared at her, and then scratched his head. "Do you have something to eat?"

"What do you take this place for? A hotel?" The Blondie fumed as he exclaimed from behind.

"Do you want instant noodles? I can make you some," Sakurai offered, and Murasakibara nodded. "What's with this sudden change of attitude?" The Blondie cried, looking flabbergasted. "Hey, make me a bowl too!" He said quickly to her. Sakurai glanced at them over her shoulders, before stepping into the kitchen. "Nii-san can make one himself!"

"Haaaa?" The Blondie's jaw dropped in disbelief, while Murasakibara sat at another corner of the kotatsu, sipping on the tea. The Blondie turned his head to look at him, still angry. "Oi, you," He said rudely, catching his attention. Murasakibara put the cup down and stared at him, confused. "Do you know my lil' sis from school?" Murasakibara thought for a moment, before slowly nodding. The Blondie narrowed his eyes, before adding in a sour tone.

"I will make myself clear. If you don't like her, you shouldn't give her the wrong impression. If you ever lay hands on her or hurt her, I will—"

"Uwaa." Murasakibara replied flatly, cutting him off. "Nii-san is so scary."

The Blondie flinched, giving Murasakibara incredulous looks. "Since when am I your nii-san?! Don't call me that! We're not even related!" Sakurai stepped into the room, holding two bowls of noodles and placing them gently on the kotatsu. Murasakibara eyed her every movement, and only the Blondie noticed. He quickly nudged Murasakibara's shoulder with his elbow, warning him. Murasakibara rubbed his shoulder sorely, arching an eyebrow. Sakurai peered over her shoulders, looking out of the window. The rain didn't seemed like it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. _Looks like Mukkun will have to stay here a while longer, _she thought as she settled down comfortably near the kotatsu, stretching her hidden legs inside. She felt her leg kick into something, and saw Murasakibara wince. _Whoops, was that his leg?_ She retracted her legs and crossed them. The Blondie looked from her face to Murasakibara's face, narrowing his eyes. "This is getting suspicious," He voiced, and Sakurai gulped. "Are you guys playing legs games underneath the kotatsu?" He flipped the sheet of cloth over and peered down. Both of their legs were crossed, and his eyebrows furrowed.

Sakurai pushed the bowl of noodles to the Blondie as Murasakibara muttered a "itadakimasu" and begin to dig in. "Here, nii-san. You can have my share." She smiled gently at the Blondie, who looked to her with tears brimming to his eyes. "I was just kidding when I told you to make one yourself." Sakurai continued, still smiling.

"Sakurai-chan…" The Blondie sniffed and accepted the bowl of noodles with gratitude. "My lil' sis is a wonderful person, you hear?" He told Murasakibara with a hint of pride in his voice. Murasakibara looked at him, slurping the strands of noodles. "Make sure you treat her well!" He pointed a pair of chopsticks at Murasakibara deftly, while Murasakibara just blinked.

Murasakibara left later in the afternoon after changing back into his damp uniform. He bid them a goodbye, but his gaze lingered on Sakurai for a while. "Alright, alright, get going already!" The Blondie, who had introduced himself as Toshihiro, said as he pushed Murasakibara hastily out of the house. Sakurai went back in to clear the dishes. Toshihiro looked at Sakurai as she went back to the kitchen. "Man," He sighed, shaking his head. "Why do I have a bad feeling about these two?"

x

Sneakers squeaked as the boys ran around the indoor court, dribbling and passing the orange ball. "Atsushi!" One of the guys from the second string shouted to the lumpish giant, passing the ball to him. Himuro grunted as he broke free from his opponent's guard and caught the ball just in time. Murasakibara just stood there, looking at the entire game, not doing anything. "Hey, is Sakurai coming to watch today?" Himuro asked wryly. Murasakibara shrugged, expressing disregard.

"I think Nagato-san will be here, though. Just a feeling."

Murasakibara stared down at Himuro, then, unsure of what to say, he kept his eyes on the ball. Himuro smiled to himself. It was fun teasing Murasakibara like that, especially since he presumed he knows certain things. Murasakibara was easy to see through, but difficult to predict. But that aspect of him made it even more fun for Himuro. Their practice game ended soon after, and all of them were told to take a break. Most of them sweat buckets except for Murasakibara. Well, he didn't really move while playing, since all he ever did was to move his hands. He peered one or two times at the entrance of the hall, before returning his gaze to his water bottle, playing with it.

"Were you expecting someone?"

He looked up, mildly surprised to see the coach talking to him. She would usually talk to him in a more reproachful manner, so he was taken aback by this gentle approach. "No…" He mutters, looking away. "Liar!" Kensuke exclaims, seeing this as a good opportunity to make fun of Murasakibara. "He's expecting a girl to come and watch him play!"

The coach looked thoughtful, before looking at Murasakibara questioningly. "Is it that girl who came in the other day?" He pretended he didn't hear her as he said nothing, still playing with his bottle. "Yeah, coach, you're damn right it was!" Kensuke continued playfully. Murasakibara threw the bottle in his direction, and Kensuke only barely managed to dodge. Murasakibara got up, took his things and left.

"Just because you're a natural at basketball doesn't mean you can leave whenever you want during training!" Masako hits Murasakibara with a shinai, and the poor guy flinched and cowered a little. Masako's expression then softened. "I think she'll be here soon. She was supposed to submit the forms of those students who will be going to watch the Winter Cup tournaments to me by today." She says, and Murasakibara turned his face away.

A small figure had stepped into the hall, standing shyly at the entrance, hesitating. _Come on! Just get this done and over with!_ Sakurai took a deep breath and—

"Oh look, it's Sakurai-chan!" Murasakibara had flinched slightly at the mention of her name. "Er… Good afternoon, everyone." Sakurai says with uncertainty as she walks towards them. Seems that she's gotten somewhat popular within the basketball club, but for whatever reason she has no idea. It was just like, one fine day poof! Everyone there start talking to her. "Um… Sensei, here are the forms you've instructed me to collect…" She hands the stacks of papers to Masako, who took them from her, but Masako's curious eyes never left her face. "Mm, thanks. You're Nagato, right?" Masako smiled at the girl. Sakurai nodded briefly, wide, innocent eyes staring at Masako's. Was there something wrong? Great, and now she's going to be popular within the teachers as well? Is this supposed to be a good sign?

"If I'm not wrong, don't you have karate club activities going on right now? I thought you'd be passing me the forms after club activities had ended." Masako inquired, puzzled. "Ah, about that…" Sakurai trailed off. She was going to say something, but stopped herself. Her next words were spoken with a tinge of sadness and embarrassment in it.

"I've been suspended from club activities for the time being."

"Huh? Why?" Kensuke asks, shocked. Murasakibara looks at the girl. Sakurai shrugged, but her shoulders slumped sadly. "I didn't do well in my recent tests, so I'm not allowed to continue with my club activities until I at least get a decent grade for my next test." Wei then interjected, "I can understand how you feel deeply. I, too, went through that when I first came to Japan."

"Well, I understand that it's a bit hard for you," Masako said matter-of-factly. "But this isn't the time to slack off. Back to training, you guys! The Winter Cup's in a few weeks' time!" She chided the entire group, who were more than motivated to play. "Do you want to sit here and watch?" She then asks Sakurai, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure the team would love to have you here."

_I can't refuse her now, can I?_

x

"Hey, hey, Saku-chin."

"What is it?"

Murasakibara bent down, holding a bag of chips as he look fixedly into her eyes. "Why are you so sad?"

"Do I?" Sakurai returned the look, blinking vacantly, then with two index fingers, she pushed the corners of her lips up into a forced smile. "Is this better now?"

"Nope, it's worse." Murasakibara stuffed his mouth with a handful of chips. They were walking back home together after his training. Actually, the whole team had came up with a couple of excuses to stay behind, creating opportunity for the two of them to be alone. Of course, they were both blockheads so they didn't realize that. Suddenly he had an idea, and started digging into the packet. "Look, look!" He says, his voice somewhat muffled. Sakurai looks at him, arching an eyebrow.

"… Pfft—!" She laughs a second later, after taking in his face. He had placed two of the curved chips facing each other oppositely in between his lips and bit them gently, forming a mouth. "You look like a duck!" She says bluntly, still laughing. Murasakibara took out the chips and ate them. "Do I look funny?" He asks, although he already knew, judging by her reaction.

She nods, putting a hand over her mouth in an attempt to laugh in a ladylike manner. He then smiled vaguely.

"I'm glad."

She tried to stop laughing by breathing in deeply, but another second later she broke out into uncontrollable laughter again. She held her stomach, bending over. "S-Sorry, that image's just stuck in my head!" She says in between laughs. Even Murasakibara himself watched the scene, amused.

"Hm~mm~ are you sure you can go home in that state?" Murasakibara mused. "Or do you want me to carry you home?" At those words, Sakurai stiffened. Suddenly that wasn't so funny anymore. Her heart raced when he said that. Were there any underlying meanings to it? And why would he even suggest that? Could he possibly…?

Could he possibly be treating her like a kid, since she was like only half of his height?

He bends down, meeting her eye level. "So~?"

"I'm not a kid! I can go home by myself!"

"But the way I see it, Saku-chin looks every inch a kid~ A small, small kid~" He seemed as if he was provoking her, but the way he put it, he sounded like he was just teasing her playfully.

"You're a fine one to talk! You're a giant but you act like a kid—" Immediately she knew she had uttered the wrong words. Murasakibara looked at her for a moment, before narrowing his eyes. "I'm sorry!" She cries out, putting a hand to her lips. "I'm really sorry! I'm such an idiot! I'm sorry—"

Murasakibara clamped a hand on top of her head, and she cringed. Is he going to crush her head now? Wait, that's not humanely possible. He's definitely going to hate her truckloads now. She shut her eyes tightly, awaiting what was in store for her.

Feeling something on her cheeks, her eyes shot open. Murasakibara's face was too close! She could feel his warm breath tickling her cheek, causing her temperature to instantly shoot up. She got startled, and took a step back. With shaky hands, she placed a hand on her cheek. What the heck did he just do?! He was squatting down, giving her a satisfied look.

"_Arara_~ Why are you so surprised? It's just a peck on the cheek, isn't it~?" He asks, putting his weight on her head as he stands up. "Why did you—?!" She exclaims, lost for words. Everything was practically on her mind right now and she couldn't think straight.

"It's your punishment." He says simply, gently pinching her nose. "You make me want to bully you more now, Saku-chin."

"Y-You can't…!" She stutters, shoving his hand away. She clenches her fist. Murasakibara notices this, and he slowly and hesitantly took her hand in his, and she loosens her clench. She trembled at his touch. This feeling, it's almost like she likes it, and she's anticipating something, but then again, it felt wrong.

"_Are_? Saku-chin's face is so red now," He comments, staring impassively. "This isn't the first time we've held hands, you know." Sakurai's eyes lit up. _That's right…_ The first time they (although unintentionally) held hands was at the festival when he dragged her away from Naoki. So why did this bothered her?

This was aggravating her. Murasakibara's the last person she'd ever fall in love with! He's so childish, and so freakishly tall! He's probably obsessed with basketball, he's not that good in his studies, he likes to eat, he's lazy… These were not the qualities she looked for in a guy. But why? Why did she feel that she may have liked him, after all? She was unsure of these feelings from the start, but it seemed to be much clearer now. She probably likes him, but she denied that probability fiercely in her heart.

_Reject all these feelings!_ She cursed internally. In the end, she'd go back to Singapore and never see him again. Save yourself the heartbreak and never go into any relationship, she'd often say. But why? Why was this foreign feeling tugging at her heart strings so painfully? It was something unlike the other feelings she felt, for idols, for handsome models, wasn't this all similarly categorized?

"I don't understand!" She mutters under her breath, tossing his hand aside and made a run for it. Why was love so complicated? Meanwhile, Murasakibara stood there, dazed. The other guys were already at the gate and caught him in a daze.

"Hey, Atsushi! So how did it go?" Kensuke asks, grinning at him. Murasakibara looks at him from the corner of his lazy eyes.

"Ne senpai, if a girl runs away when you hold her hand, what does this mean?"

Kensuke and the rest were taken aback. Their gorilla captain shrieked. "Whoa! You mean to say you actually held her hand!?"

"Is it wrong?"

_What an airhead!_ Kensuke puts a hand to his forehead. "At times like this, you have to run after her!" He said sternly. _Then again, why am I giving him love advice?_ That thought gave him the shudders. "Um… But since she's already long again, I suggest you talk to her calmly the next day."

Murasakibara thought it over calmly. "Okay." He said simply. "Have you already thought about what to say, though?" Kensuke asks, half curious and half suspicious. He was almost certain Murasakibara would say the wrong things to the girl, and thus making matters worse. "Kensuke-senpai is being a mom," Himuro jokes, with a vague smile on his face. Kensuke gave him a horrified look at being called 'mom'. "I'm sure Murasakibara knows what to do."

"… If you say so."

Murasakibara walked ahead of the others, digging his hands into his pockets. It was chilly, which meant the winter cup tournament is very near. He was deep in thought, whether it was basketball on his mind or just that girl, the rest had no idea, until he tripped on the edge of the sidewalk, causing a wave of anxiety spreading among his friends.

_He's definitely not okay!_ They all thought with horror at the same time, almost as if they shared telepathy.


End file.
